A Tea for Your Valentine
Looking for a recipe for a unique brew, a Love Meme to Yourself, or Your Valentine?
This Valentine’s Day Tea Recipe conveys your message to a tender heart and sensitive palate! Your taste for a uniquely delicious tea created in layers proffers a delicate message. Thus, a love potion, this tea perfumes the soul.
So, make this tea recipe—a potion that carries a message right into the heart of love.
Valentine’s Day Tea—Recipe
Ingredients for 2 Servings:
2 cups Green Tea or White Tea
2 cups Rose Petal Tea
3 – 5 tablespoons Raspberry syrup (see how to make it, below)
5 – 8 Cardamom pods
4 – 6 Clove buds
¼ – ½ Teaspoon ground Cardamom
Equipment:
1 large glass jar or over-sized cup
1 tea strainer
1 sieve strainer for the raspberries
2 glasses for serving*
Extras You Might Like (suggestions only)
Cinnamon Sticks
Fennel Seeds or licorice flavor in Star Anise Pods
Fresh Chili Pepper, cut into strips for garnish (dare-devils only!—or see Brew a Spicy Tea, below)
Rose petals for garnish
Plan Ahead!
The method for making this tea requires a tiny bit of advanced planning! With such effort, Your Valentine will get it—they’re unconditionally loved. Preparing the syrup, which can take up to 2 hours, is mostly unattended. Plus, you’ll want to infuse (or steep) the rose petal tea for up to 20 minutes before blending this potion.
Make Ahead:
1. Make raspberry syrup— pour the contents of a package of frozen raspberries into a pan with a lid. Mix in 1 – 2 tablespoons coconut sugar. To avoid sticking, add ¼ – ½ cup water. Cover the pan and turn on heat to medium.
Keep checking on the raspberries. When they come to a boil, the fruit, once puffy, will “melt” down and take on a darker color. Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the Cardamom and Clove whole spices. Allow to infuse at least two hours. Strain, pressing the fruit to get every last drop.
Taste, then add ground Cardamom. Cardamom will “sweeten” the syrup, flavoring it with a soft, sophisticated brightness. Transfer your syrup to a jar or bottle and refrigerate until using.
Method for Valentine’s Day Tea-making:
1. Remove raspberry syrup from the refrigerator and portion out 3 – 5 tablespoons (for 2 cups). Keep your syrup in an oversized cup or jar–and save any leftover for another use.
2. Make Rose petal Tea: using very hot water, pour over 3 – 4 tablespoons pink rose petals (red is okay, too). Cover and allow to infuse for at least 20 minutes. Uncover, strain, and set aside.
3. Make your Green Tea: (or alternatively, White Tea, which has a lighter flavor). Strain or remove bag and set aside.
Mix the teas together!
Pour green (or white) tea into glasses. You can then pour Rose Petal Tea over the caffeinated tea. Add Raspberry Syrup. Swirl around briefly to let flavors combine.
Garnish your beautiful Valentine’s Day Tea with freshly cut tangerine or orange slices if desired. Cinnamon sticks would be fun, too!
Serve neat.
Brew a Spicy Valentine’s Day Tea
Prepare water for tea. Next, wash and chop up to 1/2 chili pepper for each cup (less or more to taste). Next, pour the chopped chilis into the heating water. Allow water to come to boil, then reduce to simmer. Infuse chili in the water for at least 5 minutes. Taste. Is it chili-hot enough? Or, too hot? At this point you can adjust by adding in more water, or more chili to your liking.
When your chili water is ready, remove pan from stove. Add 1 teabag for the green or white tea, or tablespoon of tea leaves per cup. Allow to steep or infuse for the required time—usually 3-4 minutes. Strain and set aside. Then continue as above from Step # 3.
Plan to serve with or without citrus as you desire.
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